Company violating guidelines, says MoEF panel

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Committee, which visited the mini-hydel power project sites in the Western Ghats following an order of the High Court of Karnataka, has found glaring violation of the Wildlife Act by privately owned Maruthi Power (Gen) India Private Limited (MPIPL).

Undeterred by the criticism that the Athirappilly hydroelectric project may cause irrevocable environment damage, the Kerala State Electricity Board Undeterred by the criticism that the Athirappilly hydroelectric project may cause irrevocable environment damage, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) continues to bat for it.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), has recommended that the proposal should not be cleared citing its environmental impacts. The KSEB proposes a project with an installed capacity of 163 MW across the Chalakudy river.

Forest dept fears the Western Ghats Ecology Authority infringes on its powers

The recommendation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) for setting up the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) has not gone down well with the State Forest department.

MUMBAI: In a bid to push the plan for setting up a 29-km freeway along Mumbai's western coast, the state government on Monday asked the Centre to consider modifying the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and permitting reclamation for construction of a road. The demand was made during a meeting with T Chatterjee, secretary, ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), at Mantralaya, which was attended by state chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad and other senior state officials.

Says Union Forest Ministry can’t impose heritage tag on Western Ghats against govt’s wish

With barely 20 days left for India to resubmit its dossier to Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) for the serial nomination of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, as in the previous year, isn’t making the task any easier for the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Implementation of the hydro-electric project will help ease power situation in Karnataka

The time has come for power-starved Karnataka to make a tough call on implementing the long-pending 200-MW Gundia Hydro-Electric Project (GHEP) in Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts.

A team of researchers from the University of Calicut has discovered a new species of wild ginger endemic to the Silent Valley National Park on the Western Ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots in India.

The discovery, reported by M. Sabu, V.P. Thomas, and K.M. Prabhu Kumar of the Department of Botany, has been published in a recent issue of Phytokeys , a journal on biodiversity research. The new species, named Amomum nilgiricum , is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) consisting of 53 genera and over 1,200 species, many of which are widely used as spices, in medical formulations, or simply for decoration.

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has set up the Centre for Mining Area Rehabilitation (CMAR) on the premises of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) to reclaim the land damaged ecologically due to mining.

The institute will be headed by an IFS officer and at present comprises four scientists who will focus on recovering the forest land damaged due to reckless mining.

The hydel project will cause loss of biodiversity and significant environmental impact

The Gundia Hydro Electric Project (GHEP) proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) should not be executed “as the loss of biodiversity and environmental impact would be significant,” says a report by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).